Wga credit manual

Their professional status depends on the quality and number of screenplays, teleplays, or stories which bear their names. Credits Manuals and Guides Information for Writers Credits Survival Guide The Credits Survival Guide is a plain language guide to the credits determination process with practical tips writers should know to help protect their interests in credits. Screen Credits Manual Television Credits Manual Information for Companies Credits Procedures Guides These guides are a ready reference for writers and staff members who propose writing credits, prepare and submit Notices of Tentative Writing Credits to the Guild for Guild signatory production companies, and gather materials for credit arbitration on Guild projects.

Quick Links Dues. Working Rules. Fortunately, the written material provides a definite basis for credit determination, and the willingness of experienced writers to read this material carefully and weigh the contributions of the participants ensures a fair and impartial decision arrived at by qualified persons.

The importance of credits demands that writers give the process for determining credits the closest scrutiny. The rules and procedures set down here are based on:. The Company is obligated , under the MBA, to notify a writer of all writers currently or previously employed by the Company on the same material.

On a television motion picture ninety 90 minutes or longer, the Company is required to notify all participating writers in writing of the name s of any subsequent writers. Such notice s shall be issued within a reasonable time after employment of each subsequent writer. Guild Working Rule 12 requires that the writer ascertain from the proper authorities in the production company the names of any other writers currently assigned to the same material. The writer also must notify any of such other writers of the fact that the writer has been assigned to the material.

For fair credit determination it is vital that the writer keep copies of all work done. To be considered in a credit arbitration, literary material must have been submitted by the writer to the Company upon completion of the work or upon purchase.

All material should be properly dated and labeled. Copies of story or script suggestions constituting literary material should be kept and must also have been submitted to the Company in writing if the writer wants to claim credit for these contributions. A dated memorandum to the Company can place these suggestions on the record. Literary material submitted to the Company includes submission to individuals authorized by the Company to accept such materials.

The Guild does and must presume that when two writers comply with the definition of a team and their names appear jointly on the work that is produced, the whole will be judged as a joint contribution unless a specific objection to this assumption is made at the time of the writing.

Such objections should be made in writing to the staff of the Television Credits Department and concurrently to the other writer. See Section III. This distinction is well established in the industry through custom and practice. It has been the practice and the policy of arbiters in credit arbitrations to assume that a writer has access to prior literary material, an assumption based on the custom of the industry.

The arbiters must proceed on the basis that the similarities in themselves constitute presumptive evidence that there must have been some sort of access even if the literary material of the prior writer were only orally transmitted, as, for example, from a production executive to a later writer.

It is also presumptive evidence that a production executive would relate in some manner or form, directly or inadvertently, formally or informally, significant contents of a prior piece of literary material which may or may not be incorporated in later literary material.

Therefore, it is the policy of the Guild that the written material will prevail, making the lack of or the existence of a significant similarity between the prior or later literary material the deciding factor.

Because this presumption is irrebuttable, the claim of writing independently of prior literary material may not be considered by a Policy Review Board. The Company also is required to provide each participating writer a copy of the final shooting script or if such script is not available, the latest revised script.

In addition, in the case of a remake, any writer who has received writing credit under any WGA Basic Agreement in connection with a prior produced version shall also be considered a participating writer.

If a writer contractually designates an agent or other representative to receive Notices then the writer should periodically remind such representative to forward all Notices in a timely manner so important deadlines are not missed. The MBA provides that when more than one writer has participated in the writing of a motion picture, then all participants have the right to agree unanimously among themselves as to which of them shall receive writing credits on the television screen and in what form, provided that the form agreed upon is in accordance with the terms of Television Schedule A of the MBA, and provided the agreement is reached in advance of arbitration.

The MBA also provides that the form of such credit shall not be suggested or directed by the Company. Any participating writer may initiate a meeting or other discussion among all the writers who have contributed to try to reach such an agreement. After a protest is received by the Guild, if there is an indication that agreement on the credits might be reached by the participating writers, Television Credits staff will make reasonable efforts to arrange a meeting or other discussion among the writers for this purpose.

If no agreement is reached, credits shall be finally determined by arbitration. There is no intended or implied connection with the more formalized arbitrations conducted in other forums, such as court-ordered arbitrations or union-management arbitrations. No individual who serves as an arbiter, consultant, member of a Special Committee or Policy Review Board shall have an interest in the outcome of the credit determination.

Any controversy as to credits shall be determined by an Arbitration Committee consisting of three members of the Guild who shall be drawn from the Television Arbiters List. The Television Arbiters List includes writers who have been current members for at least one year and who have received no less than three writing credits. At least two of the three arbiters on any Arbitration Committee shall have served on no less than two previous Arbitration Committees.

In setting up a Committee to serve in a particular arbitration, Television Credits staff shall submit to the participating writers a copy of the Television Arbiters List. At that time, the participating writers have the opportunity to file a list of peremptory challenges deleting a reasonable number of names from the arbitration in which they are involved.

Television Credits staff will select the Arbitration Committee from the names remaining on the list after participating writers have had an opportunity to file a list of peremptory challenges. Wherever possible, arbiters will be selected who are experienced in the type of writing involved in a particular arbitration.

The members of the Committee so selected shall not be informed as to the name or identity of the other members of the Committee. As has always been Guild practice, the identity of the arbiters and consultants selected remain anonymous and confidential. All participating writers are obligated to cooperate with the Guild, including Television Credits staff, the Consultant, Special Committee in a Pre-Arbitration, Arbitration Committee and Policy Review Board panel in every way required to render a fair and timely decision.

The MBA requires the Company to submit three copies of all material written by participating writers as well as the available source material. This may necessitate a trip to the Guild office to examine material. The statement to the Arbitration Committee provides the participating writer with an opportunity to explain why the writer is entitled to a particular credit.

While the Arbitration Committee bases its decision solely on literary material, including scripts, stories, treatments, etc. Guild Policy on Credits. Generally, statements should not exceed three, single-spaced typewritten pages. Because of the limitation of eight business days for the arbitration, this statement must be delivered to the Guild within 24 hours after the writer has notice that there has been a protest. Whenever possible, the Guild will extend this deadline depending on the circumstances of the particular arbitration.

Further, at the request of a participating writer, additional time to submit a statement may be granted by Television Credits staff within the time constraints for determination of credits. Such requests will not be unreasonably denied.

If a participating writer submits a statement after the materials have been submitted to the Arbitration Committee, Television Credits staff will forward such statement to the Arbitration Committee provided such statement is received prior to a decision of the Arbitration Committee. The identity of all participating writers and any functions they performed on the production, other than as writers, shall not be revealed to the Arbitration Committee.

In the event that a dispute exists as to the authenticity, identification, sequence, authorship or completeness of any literary material to be considered in a credit arbitration, a Special Committee consisting of three members of the Television Credits Committee shall conduct a hearing at which all participating writers may present testimony and documentary evidence.

Such Special Committee is empowered to make a binding determination for purposes of submission of material to the arbiters. The following information and material is sent to each member of the Arbitration Committee by the Television Credits staff member administering the arbitration:.

Each member of the Arbitration Committee reads all the material submitted independent of the other two arbiters and makes a decision based on the guidelines for determining credits. Although the participating writers are encouraged to submit a statement to the Arbitration Committee advocating for a particular credit, the decision as to the appropriate credit must be based solely on the literary material submitted for the arbitration.

The administration of an accurate and equitable system of determining credits is, therefore, one of the most important services the Guild performs for writers. We have provided the following information for your convenience. If you have any questions, please read this FAQ , or contact the Credits Department at or email: Credits.

Credits Information for Writers. Credits Survival Guide This is a plain language guide to the credits determination process with practical tips writers should know to help protect their interests in credits.

Credits Information for Companies. Credits Procedures Guides These guides are a ready reference for writers and staff members who propose writing credits, prepare and submit Notices of Tentative Writing Credits to the Guild for Guild signatory production companies, and gather materials for credit arbitrations on Guild projects. Menu Close. Know Your Rights.